The Merits of Stupidity
by lollygirl128
Summary: Is it possible that sometimes, once in a blue moon, a moment that you didn't put an ounce of thought into could save a person's life? And by saving that person's life, you win a war? This is what happens during and after Annabeth unknowingly saves Percy's life on the Williamsburg Bridge from Annabeth's perspective.


The Merits of Stupidity

**A/N I wrote this in first person, but sometimes I forget that's what I'm doing, so it might occasionally slip into third person. I combed this over as well as I do all my other stories though, so I think I caught my few slip ups. But if you see one, don't hesitate to tell me.**

**Some of this stuff is word for word out of TLO, but no copyright infringement is intended. I'm just adding another perspective.**

Don't _ever_, tell _anyone_ I said this, but sometimes idiocy can pay off.

I know, I know, not something a daughter of wisdom should be caught saying, but apparently it has it's merits.

I was standing with my shoulders pressed to Percy's as we fought on the Williamsburg Bridge. I was fighting like crazy, slashing and stabbing with my knife, while Percy was attacking monsters and incapacitating demi-gods left and right behind me. It was actually pretty impressive. It must have been his invincibility.

I leaned forward to drive my knife into the gut of a dracaena, and that was just enough for a demi-god to take aim for Percy's lower back. The demi-god raised his sword.

I didn't think. I just acted.

I wouldn't be able to throw my shield to cover him in time, so I threw my arm to cover his back. The blade met my skin, cutting deeply, and immediately I felt the poison on the sword. I cried out, and Percy chanced a look behind him.

I looked up to my attacker's face. It was familiar beneath his helmet. I had first seen it in the Labyrinth, and with only one eye, he was easy to recognize. Ethan Nakamura.

The next moment, Percy bashed the hilt of his blade into his face. His helmet bent from the sheer force. Percy had _definitely_ gotten stronger.

"Get back!" Percy yelled, quite menacingly. He slashed Riptide through the air in an arc, and the attacking demi-gods were driven back. "No one touches her!"

"Interesting," Kronos said. He cantered forward on his skeletal horse, studying Percy and me with narrow golden eyes. They kept flitting back to Percy curiously, but I couldn't figure out why. I hate not knowing why.

"Bravely fought, Percy Jackson. But it's time to surrender… or the girl dies," Kronos threatened.

Crap. That's exactly the kind of thing that gets Percy. His fatal flaw.

"Percy don't," I managed to grit through my teeth. The pain in my arm was getting progressively worse, the work of the poison.

Percy inspected the wound with worried eyes, then moved his gaze to my face. He looked away.

"Blackjack!" he yelled.

Suddenly, I wasn't touching the asphalt anymore. The Pegasus had his teeth clamped to the armor on my shoulder and was taking off at an amazing speed, away from the fight.

"No," I groaned, "I can still fight, let me help him!"

I couldn't be positive, but I thought I heard him snort.

My arm was throbbing, and I was losing the ability to wish I was still fighting. My vision was blurring, but I saw that he was taking me toward the Plaza, a hotel that many famous demi-gods had visited before. I could see a few demi-gods milling about on balconies, dressing injuries and talking. The Stoll twins were standing on one, talking with each other, when Travis looked up and saw me and Blackjack coming closer. He raised his arms and waved to us, gesturing for Blackjack to drop me off at that balcony.

Blackjack slowed his descent and the Stolls gently grabbed my legs and torso, allowing Blackjack to drop me without worry that I would fall. He flew off, probably in search of food or water after fighting like he had.

"What happened? Where is everyone else?" Connor asked.

I groaned in pain at a sudden throb in my arm. "Kronos was there. Percy made Blackjack take me away."

Connor was currently inspecting my arm, and Travis chuckled grimly. "Of course he did."

I glared at him, but that's all I had energy for.

Connor barely touched the skin surrounding the wound, and I sucked in a breath through my teeth. He shook his head. "We need someone from the Apollo cabin. But they were all at the bridge."

"Percy has a phone," I groaned out. Connor was wrapping gauze around the injury to slow the bleeding, but it was too simple a fix to do much help.

"I'll call him, what's the number?" asked a new female voice. I looked to the door to see that Silena Beauregard was standing there, phone out, ready to help. She had tears streaming down her face and her voice was tight. She was always so close to tears lately. "What's the number?"

I told her, and she typed it in. Then she walked away to call him.

Connor sighed. "That's all I can do right now. I don't wanna do something and make it worse."

I nodded my understanding. "Thanks, Connor."

He nodded. "Trav and I will leave, I'll get Silena to come back out."

I nodded again.

oOoOoOo

When Percy came through the door and past the crowd of my siblings, my alertness came back for a bit.

His shirt was in tatters, but he had no injuries. His eyes ran across the view from their balcony, which was unarguably impressive. But when they landed on her, she saw an emotion she rarely saw in his face: terror.

"Annabeth," he choked out.

I grimaced at him. "Poison on the dagger. Pretty stupid of me, huh?" My words were slurring, like I was drunk. Through my stupor, I felt my arm being moved and saw Will Solace inspecting the wound. I didn't even remember someone taking off the bandage.

Will let out a breath, looking relieved. "It's not so bad, Annabeth. A few more minutes and we would've been in trouble, but the venom hasn't gotten past the shoulder yet. Just lie still. Somebody hand me some nectar."

I had no trouble remaining still, it hurt to move a muscle. I was surprised when he said it hadn't moved past the shoulder, though, since my whole body ached.

I didn't notice someone had handed Will the nectar, but I had noticed someone gripping my hand. I looked at the fingers, and my gaze moved up the arm to find it belonged to Percy. I felt better for a moment, until someone started to pour boiling acid on my arm.

"Ow. Ow, ow!" I yelped. So it wasn't acid, but the nectar. I held Percy's fingers so hard they changed color, but he didn't flinch or complain. Silena offered me words of encouragement, saying Will had it under control and that it would be ok, and it did make me feel a little better.

Will put some kind of paste on my arm and started humming words in Ancient Greek. I was a little more alert than I had been, but I wasn't alert enough to translate the words more than enough to tell it was a hymn to Apollo. Then he reapplied some gauze, looking a little gray. When he stood, he looked shaky. Healing me had probably taken a lot of his energy.

Will told the surrounding campers that we would be needing mortal supplies, and the Stoll brothers immediately offered to ransack a Duane Reade. Will made it abundantly clear that they were to leave payment, and they were off to find the items on the list Will had given them.

As the Stolls left, so did everyone else. Jake Mason and Percy exchanged some words about keeping watch on the city, and then I was alone with Percy and Silena.

Silena pressed a cold cloth to my forehead with a frown. I wasn't used to seeing her like this, all tear-streaked and depressed. "This is all my fault," she muttered.

Percy and I did our best to reassure her it was in no way, shape, or form was it her fault. But Percy accidentally gave her a great idea, ending up with Silena hugging Percy. I will admit, I felt a small pang of jealousy at that, but I ignored it. Being around a child of Aphrodite could mess with those emotions sometimes, and I didn't want it to distract me. I hate being distracted. I could always feel jealous later, when there's nothing else to think about.

Ha. Nothing else to think about. That's a good one.

Once she was gone, Percy's face showed a bit more worry. He seemed to have been hiding it for Silena's sake. He kneeled next to my makeshift cot and put his hand to my forehead. I fought the urge to let my eyes flutter closed.

"You're cute when you're worried. Your eyebrows get all scrunched together," I muttered. I was feeling a little loopy after Will put that paste on me, and I got the sense I wouldn't have said that if I were completely healthy.

"You are _not_ going to die on me when I owe you a favor," he told me with conviction. "Why did you take that knife?"

I rolled my eyes, and got a little dizzy. "You would've done the same for me."

Percy seemed to acknowledge the truth to that. Then he cocked his head ever-so-slightly, and looked at me intently. "How did you know?"

I frowned. "Know what?"

Percy looked around us, like looking to make sure no one was there. Then he leaned in close, so that when he whispered his lips touched my ear.

"My Achilles spot. If you hadn't taken that knife, I would've died."

I froze. He would've died? I thought back to when it happened, and what was going through my mind, but could only remember a fierce need to keep that blade from touching him. "I don't know, Percy," I whispered back to him. "I just had this feeling you were in danger. Where…" I faltered. He shouldn't tell me, but I needed to know. "Where is the spot?"

Percy hesitated for a moment, then spoke. "The small of my back."

"Where? Here?" I asked, and put my hand on his mid-back. He took my hand and moved it lower, stopping when it was below the curve of his spine. I might've blushed if I had any color.

Percy let out a breath, one he had sucked in when my hand found his weak spot. "You saved me. Thanks."

I pulled my hand back to my side, but Percy stayed holding it. I liked it.

"So you owe me," I whispered. "What else is new?"

**A/N Hmm. I don't know about this one. It seemed like a good idea when I started it, but it didn't turn out as good as I had hoped. I hope you liked it, though. Leave a review to tell me what you think!**


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